On the Relationship between Mozarabic Sibilants and Andalusian Seseo

cholars such as Ralph Penny and Ramón Menéndez Pidal have pointed to the
Mozarabic language to explain some of the more peculiar features of southern Spanish
such as Andalusian seseo, the quality only having one sibilant phoneme [s] rather than
having two phonemes [s] and [ɵ] common in other peninsular dialects and languages.1
Further, parallels have been drawn between Andalusian Spanish and Latin American
Spanish as Latin American Spanish is considered to be mostly of Andalusian heritage
(Parodi, Fuentes, Lipski, Galmés de Fuentes 1962).

Yasmine Beale-Rivaya

40

On the Relationship between
Mozarabic Sibilants and Andalusian Seseo
Yasmine Beale-Rivaya
Texas State University-San Marcos
Introduction
Scholars such as Ralph Penny and Ramón Menéndez Pidal have pointed to the
Mozarabic language to explain some of the more peculiar features of southern Spanish
such as Andalusian seseo, the quality only having one sibilant phoneme [s] rather than
having two phonemes [s] and [ɵ] common in other peninsular dialects and languages.1
Further, parallels have been drawn between Andalusian Spanish and Latin American
Spanish as Latin American Spanish is considered to be mostly of Andalusian heritage
(Parodi, Fuentes, Lipski, Galmés de Fuentes 1962).2 To truly understand the dynamic of
Andalusian and Latin American Spanish it is essential to trace the development of the
most characteristic features of Andalusian Spanish especially since these have been
attributed to the influence of and contact with Arabic and in turn have shaped the nature
of the Spanish language in the Americas, as in the case of seseo.
The development of the sibilants in the Iberian peninsula has been analyzed by
various scholars. Galmés de Fuentes (1962) discusses the quality of medieval /ç/ and /z/
mainly in Ibero-Romance and in other Romance Languages such as Italian, French,
Catalán, Gallego, and Latin American Spanish by analyzing their corresponding uses in
Arabic. Amado Alonso examines in a series of articles the chronology of the
development and the quality of Spanish sibilants (1947, 1951a, b, c). Lawrence Kiddle
discusses what he called Middle Spanish “Sibilant Turmoil.” A. Alonso classifies /s/ in
Spanish. Finally Torreblanca (1978, 1988a, b) compares Spanish, Catalán, Portuguese,
and Latin /s/. In spite of the vast bibliography on Spanish sibilants and the dating of
particular phonological changes (such as the desonorization of -z- to become -s- which
varies from the end of the fourteenth Century to the beginning-mid of the fifteenth
Century), I argue that there has been relatively little analysis of the role of contact and
bilingualism in the Iberian Peninsula on specific phonological developments. In
particular with regards to sibilants, Arabic and Andalusi Arabic [AA]3 have been cited
A speaker of seseo would not distinguish phonetically between „casa‟ and „caza‟ while a speaker of
„ceseo‟ would. In some areas, as in Seville, there also exists „ceceo‟ where the letter s is pronounced [θ]
in all contexts. For these speakers „casa‟ is pronounced [kaθa].
2
Latin American Spanish shares the same qualities of Andalusian Spanish due to the fact that the main
ports for the new world were in the South of Spain, especially Seville- the main exit port to the New
World. The boats then stopped in the Canary Islands for varying periods of time to restock and then went
onto the colonies. As a result, a levelization of dialects (koineization) occurred in which the Andalusian
dialect predominated. For a more sustained discussion regarding the process of koineization and the
language in the New World see Lipski, Parodi, and Tuten.
3
Andalusi Arabic [AA] is the variety of Arabic used in Al-Andalus. In the northernmost regions of AlAndalus, such as in Medieval Toledo, this language was maintained for several centuries. It is through
1

eHumanista: Volume 14, 2010

Beale-Rosano-Rivaya.
Monroe has argued that “since Menéndez Pidal‟s work was far superior in quality and
reliability to that of his contemporaries. Fanjul. I contend that the case for Mozarabic influenced seseo has
not been satisfactorily proven (Asín. there has been no study which directly places the data of the
Mozarabic documents of Toledo within the chronology of the development of the
Iberian sibilants identifying how the interaction of these languages confirms or denies
influence or causation for seseo. and Sánchez
Albornoz. given the discord
between the geographical area of seseo in the Iberian Peninsula and the area historically
populated by the Mozarabs. I explore some alternative solutions for the development
of Andalusian seseo. For more on this topic. Further. Rather. In particular. although the Mozarabic theory has not been fully explored. given the
considerations of this article. it continues to
be perpetuated by contemporary scholars and linguists in particular. and Ferrando Frutos. the idea may have been perpetuated by philological scholars of the late
nineteenth Century such as Francisco Simonet (1867) and Francisco Pons Boigues
whose preoccupations with establishing a continuous lineage between the Visigothic
kingdoms and denying the “semitic” heritage of Spain as argued for by Francisco
Fernández y González may have lead to shallow conclusions (Martin-Márquez 27-60). to date.
eHumanista: Volume 14. Catlos. see Corriente.
In particular. Nor has there been a comparison of those geographical
areas known to have been important Mozarabic communities in which dialects with
seseo exist today. Galmés de Fuentes 1983).
Developments which have been difficult to explain through principles of internal
linguistic processes have been attributed to the influence of Andalusi Arabic or
Mozarabic but. 2010
. Chalmeta.Yasmine Beale-Rivaya
41
in so far as they inform the quality and the perception of early Castilian sibilants. Vidal Delgado León. I analyze the sibilant phonemes of both Romance and Arabic
origins used in the collection of legal documents in Andalusi Arabic of the Mozarabs of
Toledo of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries and compare the data found within these
to that of early Castilian. the unfortunate conclusion was drawn that
Romance philology was more reliable than Arabic studies” (246-63).
4
For further reading on the debate of the extent and role of the Arabic influence on the formation of a
Spanish identity consult Gómez.
The Development of the Spanish Sibilant Phonemes
contact with this language that Arabic words and expressions are said to have entered into the CastilianSpanish language. Castro. I argue that the data challenges us to reassess the simple
paradigm of Mozarabic causation for Andalusian seseo. The general
assumption that data presented in early works of Romance philology was reliable would
explain why.4 Finally. Kern. the idea
of Mozarabic influenced seseo seems to be motivated by extra-linguistic considerations.
This paper seeks to place the Mozarabic data within the chronology of Castilian
development in order to determine the relationship between the sibilant systems of both
languages.

voiceless phonemes became voiced intervocalically. Latin had two productive fricative consonants: one sibilant. I summarize here the historical evolution of the sibilant
phonemes from Latin to Spanish. Penny. simplification of vowel
system. changes in verb tenses (Lloyd 2-6.
Vulgar Latin tended towards simplification such as: the loss of the case system.5
Figure 1: Latin Consonant System
Bilabial
Plosives
/b/ /p/
fricatives
nasals
Labio-Dental
/f/
Dental
/d/ /t/
VelarGlottal
/g/ /k/
/s/
/h/6
/m/
Alveolar
/n/
laterals
/l/
trills
/r/
As can be seen in Figure 1.
8
Only the main sounds of the Castilian have been included while dialectal variations have not as the
purpose of this chart is to depict the main results of historical phonological changes rather than describe
all of the phonetic variations.7
Figure 2: Modern Spanish Consonant System8
Bilabial
Plosives
/b/ /p/
fricatives
/ƀ/ /ɸ/
Affricates
nasals
laterals
Labio-Dental
Dental
Alveolar
Palatal
/d/ /t/
/f/ /v/
// //
/s/ /z/
VelarGlottal
/g/ /k/
/x/ /ɤ/ /h/
/t/ /t/
/m/
/n/
//
/l/ /ƚ/
/ƛ/ /y/
5
Based on the following models: Harris.
the voiceless dental /s/ (lat: casa).
7
It is generally accepted that Modern Spanish developed from Vulgar Latin which was the oral Latin. 2010
. and the bilabial /f/ (lat: ferro). Lloyd.
6
eHumanista: Volume 14. Phonological changes
to Vulgar Latin contributed to the creation of a much more complex consonantal system
in Middle and Modern Spanish. Lapesa.
/h/ was eliminated in Latin by the 1st Century BC: (Penny 52-53).Yasmine Beale-Rivaya
42
To help in understanding the development of the phonological characteristics of
„seseo‟ and „ceseo‟ in Spanish. Penny 24).

2010
. the chart does not do justice to the complexity of the development of the
Andalusian sibilant system.
The Mozarabic theory would rather invoke a separate development for Andalusian
and assume that Andalusian features „seseo. The row detailing on Modern Castilian
Phonology really reflects the language as of the sixteenth Century (Kiddle 328). In addition. In
addition. in Almería we find „seseo. this chart is not intended to suggest that there
are no dialectal variations within Andalusian. For example.‟ Sevillan „ceceo‟ is considered an odd or amusing
eHumanista: Volume 14.
The implication is that the Andalusian we know today is in fact a progression or a
further development from Castilian and not an independent language. there were a multitude of Latin combinations that
contributed to the development of the sibilant system. There were 7
phonemes represented by different graphemes.Yasmine Beale-Rivaya
44
V+/gl/
TEGULA

x
Teja [texa]
Kt+[i/e]
PACE
t
ɵ
Paz [paɵ]
(cons)Pl
AMPLU
t
t
Ancho [anto]
(cons)CL
MANCLA
t
t
Mancha [manta]
(cons)FL
INFLARE
t
t
Inchar [intar]
Lt
MULTU
t
t
Mucho [muto]
As can be seen in Figure 3. Figure 4 below outlines the
period this study focuses on Medieval or Early Castilian to Modern Castilian and
Andalusian.
Figure 4: Development from Medieval Castilian to Modern Castilian and
Andalusian
Medieval Stage
Orthography
Modern
Castilian
Phonology
Orthography
Andalusian
Phonology
ts
ç
dz
z
S
Ss
Z
S
t

x
ɵ
S
t
X
c/z
S
Ch
j/g
s
S
t
X

j/g
In Medieval Castilian.
while Castilian is of Northern Spanish origin and having the feature of „ceseo.‟ argued to be of Mozarabic influence.‟
However. What the chart above does not
explore is the different stages of general development. the chart assumes a progression in development from Castilian to Andalusian
rather than treating the development of the two dialects as separate and disconnected.‟
while in Sevilla there is „ceceo. the phonological system was still developing.

the focus of this paper is not the
varieties of Andalusian but rather on the general characteristics of this dialect. argues that /ts/
becomes /s/ directly Andalusian (190. They had important communities in Toledo. as
well as from Francisco Simonet‟s early glossary. Castilian [θ] developed via the
following process: /ts/ -> /tθ/-> /θ/. [ts] becomes [θ]. No matter the proposal one adopts.
The data analyzed here is drawn from the collection of Mozarabic documents of
twelfth and thirteenth Century Toledo currently housed in the Archivo Histórico
Nacional and the Archivos catedralicios y capitulares of the Cathedral of Toledo.
They are a collection of legal documents (wills. 197). The most famous and still most relevant work on this
collections is the edited work by González Palencia. those Christians who found themselves in Al-Andalus
after the conquest and remained within the territory throughout the Al-Andalus period
(711-1492).
The central question regarding the development of Andalusian is: what is the causal
element for the phonological changes in this dialect of Spanish? Is Andalusian seseo the
result of internal transformations or did Mozarabic influence Andalusian through
linguistic contact? Can we look at Mozarabic to resolve the debate of whether
Andalusian developed independently from Castilian or rather as a progression of
Castilian? What implications does this have for our understanding of the role of
linguistic contact in Medieval Spain and the relative importance of the Mozarabs for
modern Spain?
The Mozarabic Sibilants
The Mozarabic community. such as Castilian.Yasmine Beale-Rivaya
45
feature even for Andalusian speakers. This collection of documents has been
studied in important works. deeds. and Hitchcock. However. For a current discussion about Mozarabic identity see Aillet.9 Both of these languages were contemporary to each other
and to early Castilian. Sevilla. 2010
. on the other hand. a Romance
written in Arabic characters.
The data reveals the following consonantal system:
9
The Mozarabs found themselves in the unique position to act as the bridge for Al-Andalus and Castille
during the Reconquest. spoke AA as well as Mozarabic.
The development of Andalusian Spanish can be characterized as follows: the
resulting [ts] in the Medieval stage undergoes de-affrication to become [s] while in
other dialects. and
Granada. the Castilian Spanish phoneme
[θ] then became [s] in Andalusin (88-90). became highly Arabized. Penelas & Roisse. exchanges of property) from
post-Reconquest Toledo and are written in Andalusi Arabic for use by parties entering
into contract mainly with the Church but also used by lay people where at least one
person involved in the contract is of Christian origin. According to Penny. the final
result for Andalusian Spanish is [s]. Mallorca and Valencia. Harris.
eHumanista: Volume 14. Francisco Pons Boigues was the first to write about the
content of the documents. and most recently Ignacio Ferrando
Frutos produced a philological study of the Andalusi Arabic contained within the
documents.

we
find evidence of two different stages of phonological development in the same body of
evidence. It is not
immediately apparent whether Mozarabic underwent the same process as Castilian from
this limited data. „Arzobispo‟ is a learned word.
[tsandal] -> [andal]
10
One could also argue that Arabic /s̠/->/ts/ in Mozarabic but there is not sufficient evidence to suggest
that speakers of Mozarabic interpreted the ‫ ص‬differently depending on the origin of the word. This example betrays a previous step in the development of the Mozarabic
sibilants. If one
argues that Mozarabic is a coherent linguistic system then it follows that the most likely argument is that
one symbol represents one phoneme unless there is external evidence to suggest otherwise. çerba.
eHumanista: Volume 14. ‫ ص‬is one of the manners of representing /ts/ of
words of Latin origin. consider:
ARÇOBIXPO
‫[ ارصثسة‬ars̠obisb]
Castilian: arzobispo
Latin: ARCHIEPISCOPUS
„Arzobispo‟ produced a different result than did the previous set of words. It may be that Mozarabic developed in the following manner k+i-> /ts/
-> [s] or [] but that it did so faster than Castilian. However. and would not have succumbed to same rate of
phonological changes that more common words would have undergone. Latin k+I ->
s̠ or ‫ص‬. in
Mozarabic we find directly either [s] or [] in the same period as Castilian /ts/. or words that are only used in particular
contexts to retain an older phonological form. while more commonly used terms
develop at a faster rate. In the case of GARCIA while in Castilian k+i-> /ts/.
10
/ɵ/ developed from /ts/ and /dz/ in Castilian.
Contrary to Galmés de Fuentes.
moçuela. Therefore. but rather.
Galmés de Fuentes (1983: 88-89) reports finding similar data: Barçile. due to their
numerous manners of representing /s/. they did not linger in the palatal position but
quickly moved on to the alveolar /s/.10 Therefore. It is common for learned words. The data suggests the following Mozarabic
development:
k+[front vowel]->/ts/ briefly
For example: Latin: CENDALE -> [tsandal]
/ts/-> // Both are in the same point of articulation. It is possible that speakers of Mozarabic could not readily
distinguish the Arabic /s̠/ from /ts/. I argue that it was not the writing that was the
motivator for the linguistic change. 2010
. the varying graphemic representations
reflect the rapidly changing language itself. words of Arabic origin would have
undergone the same phonological processes as those of Latin inheritance.Yasmine Beale-Rivaya
47
The data above serves to show that in the Mozarabic documents. These examples serve to exemplify that in Mozarabic there must have been a
stage where affricate the sequence /ts/ was productive but. [s] and [] are in free
variation. A rule cannot be applied to consistently predict whether one or the other
phoneme will be produced. he goes on.

when „aceituna‟ was
borrowed into Castilian it must have sounded like [aʤeituna].Yasmine Beale-Rivaya
48
//->/s/
[andal]->[sandal]
The data reflects that the transition from // to /s/ was not complete at the time the
documents were produced. ‫ المذكﻮر‬is repeatedly
11
/ɵ/ developed from /ts/ and /dz/ in Castilian. many
Arabic words entered into the Spanish language. Following Penny‟s discussion of the development of the
sibilant system in Spanish. being replaced by ‫ ص‬more consistently. therefore creating the impossibility of the existence
of the pronunciation [aɵeituna] in any dialect of Spanish and yet it exists. This rule would indicate that eventually.
Through the influence and aid of the Mozarabic community and language. as the collection of documents nears the thirteenth Century. The process of
devoicing [ʤ] is not internal to Mozarabic but rather a process internal to Castilian. and Aldee dazeitona. What accounts for this unexpected result?
On the verso of several of the Mozarabic documents of Toledo where the word
„aceituna‟ appears we find the inscriptions: Aseytuna. Consider:
OLIVE
‫الشيتﻮن‬
[alzeitun]
Spanish: aceituna
origin: Arabic
In Southern Spanish.11 If /ɵ/ in
„aceituna‟ developed from /z/.
eHumanista: Volume 14. but [aɵeituna] in the
Castilian Spanish dialect. this outcome is unexpected since pre-sixteenth Century /z/
should have devoiced. Castilian /ts/ became /ɵ/ and /s/ in Andalusian. this word is pronounced today as [aseituna]. Many of these also included words
with Arabic sibilants. we should find many other words with this seemingly
odd phenomenon. the ‫ ش‬is
used with less frequency. becoming /s/.
This suggests that the orthographic symbol ‫ س‬represented most closely the affricate [ʤ]
in Andalusi Arabic and was not pronounced as [z]. In turn. 2010
. in the Mozarabic
documents the word for „to purchase‟ ‫[ اضتزى‬itara] will be exclusively spelled ‫استزى‬
[istara]. Dazaituna. In fact.
This process accounts for the following data:
DECEMBER
‫دجىثز‬
LAND WITHIN A PARISH
‫[ جماعة‬ʤama̅ʔia̅]
CATHEDRAL OR LARGER CHURCH
NORTH
[diʤinbir]
Lat: DECEMBER
‫[ الجامع‬adʤa̅mʔa]
‫[ الجىﻮب‬adʤanu̅b]
Unlike in Castilian. The affricate [ʤ]
devoiced to become [ts]. Arabic „dhaal‟ [] and „zaal‟ [z] merge in Mozarabic. Consider the
expression meaning „the afore mentioned‟ ‫[ المذكﻮر‬almakur].

This
phenomenon also supports the argument that although scribes were trained in legalistic
formulas. we can see that the „zaa‟ is transcribed exactly as the „dhaal‟.
Although // and /z/ are distinct phonemes. Toledo. Dated July 1137.
14
AHN: sección clero y secular.
15
[alzeitun]
The fact that the merging of the transcription of the „dhaal‟ and the „zaa‟ occurs
irrespective of the origin of the word (whether Latin or Arabic) suggests that this
phenomenon is not only be transcriptional but also phonological. their level of education did not extend much further. If we take the word meaning olive.Yasmine Beale-Rivaya
49
written as ‫[ المشكﻮر‬almazkur] in the documents of the Mozarabs of Toledo. if one were to reproduce a ‫„ س‬zaa‟ in this writing system. These types of errors
reveal a lack of familiarity or understanding of orthographic norms and the scribes rely
on their linguistic perceptions to interpret spellings of standard words. In the Mozarabic documents // becomes [z]: //-> [z]/. it would look exactly
the same. Toledo. Toledo. Catedral: legajo: 3000 # 7. 2010
. Sale of an olive grove by Elvira Díaz to Micael Mid(r)is. the auditory distinction poses difficulty for
the Mozarabic speaker.
15
AHN: sección clero y secular. daughter of Mair Temam. Catedral: legajo: 3000 # 7. Donation to the
Cathedral of Santa María of Toledo of an inheritance by Maria.
eHumanista: Volume 14.
In fact.
13
AHN: sección clero y secular.
Figure 6 From Mozarab -> Castilian -> Andalusian
Mozarab
K + (i/e)
S
s̠
ʤ

ts
S
ts
ʤ
z
t
S
t
ʤ
z

S

ʤ
z
12
AHN: sección clero y secular. however optional.
The sale of virgin land in Olías la Mayor in the favor of don Domingo ben Alrim of the convent of the
church of San Clemente. The
consistency in the manner in which this item is written suggests that the phonemes
represented by the „dhaal‟ and „zaal‟ have merged. Catedral: legajo: 3034 # 3. Spanish „aceituna‟ and Arabic „zeitun‟
‫سيتﻮن‬. Toledo. Catedral: legajo: 3002 #18: Dated February 1177. Copy # 3 dated 1253 from original
dated January 1177. I reproduce here examples from
three different documents.
12
13
14
In each of the above examples the ‫„ ذ‬dhaal‟ dips below the line as would a ‫„س‬zaa‟.

As for the question of Vulgar Latin // resulting from word initial /i/ as in IUSTUS
and IUNIUS. and before the development from /ts/ to // and /s/ which occurred
in Castilian and Andalusian respectively.
Mozarabic does not indicate a process of velarization of the yod (/i/). when looking at the data of the
Mozarabic documents why the claim should be made that there is a causal connection
between Mozarabic and Andalusian seseo. finally becoming /xusto/ and /xunio/ respectively in Modern Spanish. mainly /s/. Before being
included in either Castilian or Andalusian. in order to support the idea of a Spanish identity. However. the phoneme /ʤ/ had already devoiced to
become /ts/. However. Andalusian seseo seems to be an internal
development rather than external. The most striking
element of this chart is the fourth column which shows the changes to /ʤ/. This data strongly sustains the idea that
Andalusian seseo is an internal phenomenon and not a change which was produced
through linguistic or cultural contact. In fact. then one could argue that Andalusian seseo may have been influenced
or motivated by Mozarabic seseo. Who is to say that it would
have been impossible for /ts/ to develop into // in Andalusian? There is no reason
internal to Mozarabic to explain why /ts/ became // in Castilian and produced a
different result in Andalusian. in spite of the lack of
data to support the Mozarabic-Andalusian seseo theory it is still perpetuated. it is useful to emphasize Mozarabic.Yasmine Beale-Rivaya
Castilian
Andalusian
s
s
s
50
S
S
S
s
s
s
Ts

S
z
s
s
Figure 6 summarizes the phonological changes discussed above. which
is independent from a „semitic‟ one. I suggest
that it is for two reasons. The data presented here
supports the claim that the causal connection between Mozarabic and Andalusian seseo
is. which is an
allusion to a continuous visigothic Christian presence throughout the Andalusi period. This is a process that occurs before Castilian becomes the dominant
language in Toledo.
as the evidence suggests. First.
Consider:
JUST
JANUARY
‫[ يستة‬yusta]
‫يىيز‬
[yanai̅r]
JUNE
JOHN
‫يﻮويﻪ‬
‫يﻮاوص‬
[yiu̅ni̅o̅]
[yuanis]
Lat: IUSTA
Lat: IANUS
Cast: Justa
Lat: IUNIUS
Lat: IUANUS
eHumanista: Volume 14. The question becomes. 2010
. all traces of the Laing /y/ or /i/ remain. Had /dz/>/ts/ completed the cycle and become
/s/ in Mozarabic. There is no obvious reason. there would also not be a linguistic reason to call upon Arabic
for the seseo in Andalusian. In fact the same sound in Mozarabic gave
two completely different results in Castilian and Andalusian. this change had not occurred by the time
and Castilian became the dominant language in Toledo. spurious.
rather than recognize possible influences from linguistic contact with Arabic. why. to say the least. In the case of the
words of Latin origin.

Had initial /y/ become /dz/ or /z/ in Mozarabic. the initial /y/ is still evident in Mozarabic. given the alternation in the case of
[almakur] ‫ المذكﻮر‬and ‫[ المشكﻮر‬almazkur] and zeitun ‫ سيتﻮن‬one would expect that this
variation be apparent in this data as well. 2010
.
The Relationship between Geography and Phonology
In addition to the phonological evidence. suggest that
there should be no area where „ceceo‟ or „ceseo‟ is the predominant phonological
characteristic which can historically be linked to Mozarabic. The analyses proposed by Penny et al. Seville.Yasmine Beale-Rivaya
JULIAN
JULIA
‫يليان‬
‫يَﻮلية‬
[yulian]
[yulia]
51
Lat: IULANUS
proper name
In each case of the above cases.
eHumanista: Volume 14. Mallorca and Valencia. It is possible that the initial yod was
pronounced /dz/ or /z/ in Mozarabic but there is no evidence in the documents to
support this. and Granada. the
development of seseo can be strictly attributed to the Mozarabic influence on Castilian. Therefore. it is useful to consider the geographical
distribution of the contemporary seseo and „ceseo‟ and compare it with that of the most
important Mozarabic communities.
Let us consider the principal areas of the Mozarabic dialects as identified by Galmés de
Fuentes: Toledo. even in
cases where it was lost in Castilian such as IANUS which became „enero‟ in Spanish.
Figure 7 Distribution of Iberian seseo16
16
See Freixeiro. Murcia.

the correlation between Andalusian
seseo and Mozarabic is not immediately apparent given that the very areas where there
had been a concentration of Mozarabs produced widely diverging linguistic results in
terms of the sibilant phonemes. Aillet. has been
used inconsistently and. speakers in Toledo. It seems that the predominant tendency is toward a
phonemic distinction between [s] and [ɵ] in the Iberian Peninsula in general.Yasmine Beale-Rivaya
52
Figure 7 plots the areas where there is a dialectal distinction between the sibilant [s] and
[ɵ] and where there is none. He argues that “to make
a distinction on religious grounds […] is hazardous” because the affiliation to one or
another religion seems to have been very superficial. However. in some cases. the linguistic influence in
a particular dialect of Spanish based on these affiliations is difficult to support.‟ whether this term refers to those Arabized
Christians living within or without Al-Andalus and whether one can really talk about an
Arabized Christian-Mozarab vs. and spotted areas
between Seville and Granada and along the Southern coast. The exceptions to this general trend are the areas
encompassing: Portugal. and parts of Murcia speakers distinguish
/s/ and /ɵ/ as two separate phonemes. in particular with regards to Andalusian seseo. Penelas & Roisse). Hitchock spends a considerable amount of time on the
terminological question of „Mozarab. Valencia. and therefore.
Conclusion
The extent of the lingering influence of Mozarabic on Modern Spain is a question
that has fascinated scholars for some time and continues to be the central focus of
scholarly publications (Hitchcock. Basque Country. It has been
generally accepted in the scholarship that Andalusian seseo developed as a result of
either linguistic contact or due to the presence of a Mozarabic substratum (Craddock)
and yet. on the one hand. abused within the scholarship (Barceló 255-58). and Seville speakers do not
make this distinction. and most
of modern Spain in particular. at least in the early period of AlAndalus (Hitchcock 35-39). and acted as cultural and linguistic interpreters
for both the Northern Christians coming into Al-Andalus and the native populations of
the area. In terms of their linguistic contributions. a convert to Islam-Muwallad. we know that it is through them that
many Arabic terms were introduced into the Spanish language. the very term Mozarab has been fraught with controversy. In Valencia/Mallorca.
The Mozarabic community served as a bridge for the Castile and Al-Andalus during
the period of the Reconquest. 2010
. Cataluña. and therefore were familiar to the
Christians of the North. Based on this dialectal map. the
center of Mozarabic cultural identity. Granada. it is difficult to argue
for a Christian visigothic uninterrupted lineage. If one follows this line of reasoning. In fact. They were Christians.
In his most recent work. According to Susana Freixeiro. there has been little attention paid as to how and when this process might have
eHumanista: Volume 14. Despite the vast
scholarship on the significance of the Mozarabs for Iberian history many questions
remain. to date the
question as to the phonological contributions of Mozarabic to Castilian has not been
thoroughly explored.

Finally.
However.
The comparative analysis of the sibilants of Castilian and Mozarabic laid out here
reveals that there is not a sufficient relationship between the Mozarabic data and the
Andalusian data to claim a causal relationship for Andalusian seseo. the absence of a sustained consideration of the geography does limit our
understanding of the historical linguistic realities. I suggest that the scholarship look more closely
towards the Iberian languages (Llecarvones [Murcia to Tarragona]. This is probably due to the fact that
linguistic geographical borders are difficult to define diachronically. In fact. such as the regions
of Granada and Almería. In addition. it seems
that Andalusian seseo is an internal process to Andalusian and occurred independently
from linguistic contact with the Mozarabic community. This is work more
suited for synchronic studies by linguistic anthropologists rather than philologists. Although. the geographical
considerations cause us to pause and reconsider the relationship between languages of
the Iberian Peninsula and the known population settlements. there has been little analysis by historical linguists to confirm the
hypotheses. in particular with regards to the apical
/s/ so closely identified with Spain. on the other. it is interesting to note that the general divisions of these
Iberian languages correspond to dialectal divisions in Modern Spain. Further.
they have shied away from geographical analyses. Bastetani [Granada
to Almería]. There seems to be a
disconnect between geography and language that has been mostly overlooked in the
scholarship.
eHumanista: Volume 14.Yasmine Beale-Rivaya
53
occurred. Although the possibility of an Iberian
substratum seems remote. Murcia and Valencia. 2010
. Cataluyna. scholars have felt comfortable speculating
substratum or linguistic influence of native languages in particular areas. on the one hand. Oretani [Jaén to Cuenca]). the question of Mozarabic as the foundation of seseo really stems from the
linguists‟ attempts to explain the peculiar development of the Spanish sibilant system
which is unlike any of its Romance counterparts.